The present invention relates to urine collection and disposal systems, and more particularly, to such systems intended for use by and for incontinent patients.
Incontinence in wheelchair and bed patients, whether in hospitals, nursing homes or at home, presents a particular and continuing problem with respect to the care of such patients. Bodily incontinence is perhaps more prevalent with the elderly. Lack of control over the urinary tract is a most frequently occurring problem and is the condition to which the present invention is directed.
In an effort to keep a bed patient's bedding clean and dry so that the patient may be made as comfortable as possible, it is frequently necessary to change the bedding several times a day for a patient lacking urinary continence. Inevitably, after a "urinary accident", there is a delay before an attendant becomes aware of the soiled and wet bedding so that steps can be taken to replace it. During this time, the patient generally cannot avoid contact with the urine-soaked bedding and suffers the discomfort, if not the development of a rash or sores, from exposure to the urine-soaked bedding. Like problems arise with respect to incontinent patients confined to wheelchairs with a continuing requirement for the changing of clothing.
There have been attempts, disclosed in the prior art, to deal with and alleviate or avoid the above-described problems associated with an incontinent bed patient. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,356 issued to H. Freeman there is described a therapeutic bed pan in the form of an especially configured bed pan mounted in association with a foam pad for the purpose of preventing bed sores. The foam pad rests on the top of a mattress and has a cutaway central portion in which the bed pan is mounted. The bed pan is also provided with a perforated cover and suitable connecting nozzles on opposite sides thereof. A pump to provide air and oxygen under pressure is connected to one of the nozzles while a vacuum pump is coupled to the other nozzle to remove urine from the bed pan. I. M. Timian, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,830 discloses a similar device (but without an associated vacuum pump) for a similar purpose.
A vacuum suction type urinating aid for male patients is disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Application GB No. 2,062,472 A. The system includes a hollow urine receptacle and a vacuum suction tube connected to a vacuum pump via a urine collector. Between the urine receptacle and the vacuum suction tube is a hollow passage containing a pair of electrodes and a wettable surface which comprise a urine detecting cylinder. When a male patient urinates into the receptacle, urine wets the wettable surface in the detecting cylinder which changes the resistance between the electrodes so that the vacuum pump is activated to draw the urine into a urine tank. The disclosure of such UK patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
A particular configuration of sanitary napkin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,130 issued to T. A. DesMarais. While the sanitary napkin of the patent is particularly directed to the absorption of menstrual flow, the disclosure is of some interest for its description of the structural details and fabrication techniques for liquid absorbent pads. The disclosure of the DesMarais patent is also incorporated herein by reference.
Despite the attempts in the prior art to deal with the problems of incontinent patients outlined hereinabove, and related problems of disposing of body secretions, there remains a need for a system for use with bed and wheelchair patients (not necessarily incontinents) which can receive urine flow from a patient, whenever expelled, in an element such as an absorbent pad which can be worn by the patient without significant discomfort or inconvenience and which can have the urine drawn off from the pad to a remote receptacle which may be emptied occasionally at the convenience of the patient or an attendant. A particularly desirable feature of such a system would be a pad which is maintained so that the surface in contact with the skin of the patient always feels dry, and therefore not uncomfortable.